•What do you see as the ethical issue or issues involved in the case study you reviewed? Cite the relevant elements within the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct to support your analysis.
The case study I choose to review is in the field of Child and Adolescent Psychology. This case study discussed about an individual who is a 9 year old male, who on a normal basis is not a quiet individual, is showing since of isolation. Mrs. Sykes takes notice of a bruising on his arm, and question the individual about the bruise, the individual responds he had walked into a door. Mrs. Sykes continues to be persistent in questioning the individual, in conclusion, he asks Mrs. Sykes to not do anything because he is afraid of the outcome of the situation. Mrs. Sykes agrees and pays no mind to the situation.
I had found 2 ethical issues, listed below:
•Questioning a person who cannot give legal consent
3.10 Informed Consent: (b) For persons who are legally incapable of giving informed consent, psychologists nevertheless (1) provide an appropriate explanation, (2) seek the individual's assent, (3) consider such persons' preferences and best interests, and (4) obtain appropriate permission from a legally authorized person, if such substitute consent is permitted or required by law. When consent by a legally authorized person is not permitted or required by law, psychologists take reasonable steps to protect the individual's rights and welfare (APA, 2010.)
•Ignoring a situation which a person is being harmed or harm him or herself.
3.04 Avoiding Harm: Psychologists take reasonable steps to avoid harming their clients/patients, students, supervisees, research participants, organizational clients and others with whom they work, and to minimize harm where it is foreseeable and unavoidable (APA, 2010.)
•What steps would you take to attempt to resolve the issue?
The first necessary step I would need to take is to report suspicion of abuse to necessary agencies such as a abuse hotline, child protective services, etc. As a psychologist, I am legally mandated to report any types of abuse or neglect of a child. Another important step, I would reach out to colleges about what needs to be done, maybe my boss or someone with more experience than myself.
•How does this issue as well as the other standards in the APA code relate to your future career in psychology?
This issue provides an example to why there are rules and guidelines for the any individual working in the psychology field and how something simple could turn into a bigger problem. This allows professionals to practice his or her professions with boundaries provided for the safety of the professionals and others. Also, as a professional, I will be faced with these issues, whether it deal with myself, clients, or others around and the code of conduct will be a guideline for myself and other professionals to follow when we need to resort to gain information if we are unsure of the situation.
•How do these ethical principles relate to your role as a graduate learner in psychology?
These ethical principles relates to myself similar as Capella because I am provided with rules and regulations about what I need to follow as a student and a professional in the psychology field. As a learner, I am able to identify the code of conduct and to gain an understanding of what is expected of me when conducting myself in a professional setting.
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